The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-06-03
JACKYTIBoY.
His Mischievous Franks and His
Untinely End.

In January, 1886, L was staying with
Rev. G. Robinson at his house at Beech
Hill, near Armagh. The north of Ire
land swarms with magpics, and the
conversation naturally turned upon the
birds, my host being an ardent ornithol-
ogist. In that part of the country the
abundance of the magpie serves to keep
up the superstitions that have long sur
rounded the bird. There are many
persons of some education, who, if
they were to meet single magpie
when travelling on important business,
would turn back at once, and not ven
ture to set at defiance so adverse an
omen. Slightly varied in verbiage. the
old familiar Jingle is accepted almost
rs law of nature:
Zone for sorrow. two for mirth,
Three for a wedding. four for birth;
Five for fiddle, six for a dance,
Seven for England, eight for France
If you suggest that in England,
where a single nagpie is rarely seen.
and three or four together are almost
unheard of. and that We Get on very
well in England without troubling our
selves about magpies or any other ON
inous birds, YOU are met with the reply
that the events will occur, but that the
maspie has not been able to give warn
ing of them, us in Ireland. have met
exactly the same reply when tea
grounds or playing-cards have fur
nished the omens. the human race OF
the present day being specially IA
vored by possessing means of foretell-
ing the future, which were denied to
those who were unfortunate enough to
live before tea and cards had been in
vented.
Armagh is an essentially sporting
country, SO that the preservation OF
game is a matter of great importance.
Not even the most enthusiastic orni-
biologist can deny that the magpie i:
very destructive to winged game. max.
ing sad havoc among the eggs of pleas.
ants and cartridges. As. therefore, the
magpies are SO plentiful in Ireland,
constant war is waged against them by
game-keepers. The usual mode of de.
stroying them is by climbing the tree:
in which they have built, and throwing
the eggs or the young to the ground.
It so happened that when Mr.. Robin
son was rector of Tartaraghan (pro
nounced "Tartarrahan, with the &C
cent on the second syllable), q mag
pics nest had been haryied, but ont
young bird was rescued by the rector.
children, who took it home, and made
great pet of it. At first they called
the bird by the simple name of Jack,
but by degrees converted it into thu
more imposing title of .'Jackytiboy.'
an appellation which the bird invariably
adopted when announcing his pres
ence.
The magpie is, as rule, a far better
imitator of human speech than the gen
crafty of parrots, whether they come
from the Old or New World. Not /:
sound escapes the cognizance of tbs
maCpie, the bird practicing every in
Election, and generally reproducing il
the most unexpected manner the &C
NLiSh ~ AoS OCCA P1dC
1icing in solitude.
One magpie with which l was OF
familiar. terms always used to retire t.
the darkest corner of stable, in order
TO rchearse the performance with which
it meant to astonish the world. i
never produced its new accomplish
ment until it felt itself perfect, therein
setting an admirable example to anna
teur singers and actors. Jackytiboy,
in like manner, had his practicine
place, but it was situated on branch
of tree. Both birds invariably die
their practicing in a very low tons
of voice, SO as to be quite inaudible q
. little distance.
When he was first taken into thu
house. the children were afflicted viii
q. whoopingg-cough. The extraordi